| View this newsletter in a browser window. Happy Holidays from Shady Side Academy! Have a safe Winter Break.
December 8, 2011 In This Issue: Recent News Stories | All-School News | Junior School News
Middle School News | Senior School News | Calendar Recent News Stories Hillman Series Tickets 15% Off During Holiday Sale 2010 Boys Soccer Team Wins NSCAA Academic Award Two SSA Students to Perform in PBT's "The Nutcracker" SSA Sixth Grader Performing in "Messiah" at Heinz Hall SSA Students Raise Over $1300 For Pediatric Cancer Erin Gorse Commits to Play Field Hockey at Villanova Author Kathryn Miller Haines Visits the Middle School See all of the latest SSA News MLK Day of Service Jan. 16 Make Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a day on, not a day off! SSA students, parents, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in one of several volunteer opportunities on Monday, Jan. 16. Please visit the MLK Day of Service web page (login required) to view descriptions of volunteer opportunities and to complete the online registration form by Monday, Dec. 19. Lunch will be provided and a shuttle will run from the Senior School to the Junior School, where the day will begin and end. In conjunction with the MLK Day of Service, there will be a three-school winter clothing drive from Jan. 3-13. Each school is asked to donate the following men's, women's and children's items, which will be donated to local homeless shelters:
- Junior School - new or gently used, clean hats, scarves and gloves
- Middle School - new socks and new or gently used, clean blankets and throws
- Senior School - new or gently used, clean winter coats and hoodies
Poet Naomi Shihab Nye Performs Dec. 9 Award-winning Palestinian-American poet Naomi Shihab Nye will conclude a three-day visit to SSA with a reading and lecture at the Hillman Center for Performing Arts this Friday, Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Learn more about this performance. During her visit, Nye is holding workshops for students in grades K-12 at all three schools. Von Grey Holiday Concert Dec. 11 Enjoy a unique evening of unplugged and authentic music performed by Von Grey, a group of four young singer/songwriters. This rising folk/country/pop band from Atlanta will perform original works in soulful harmonies, accompanied by 12 instruments on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hillman Center for Performing Arts. Tickets are $6.25 and $10.25 and are available online or by calling 412-394-3353. Term I Report Cards Available Term I report cards are available for all schools on the Parent Portal. Login and click on the link in the box labeled Report Cards on the top of the right column.
Pick Up Winter Plant Orders Tomorrow!
A reminder to pick up winter plants ordered from the Parents' Association at the Junior or Senior School campuses tomorrow, Dec. 9. Contact Susan Boyle at smeadboyle@aol.com or Andrea Fako at andreafako@aol.com with questions. Dr. Cyril Wecht To Speak at Jan. 25 Lunch & Learn Mark your calendars for Wednesday, Jan. 25, as the Parents' Association welcomes Cyril H. Wecht, M.D., J.D. to the Lunch & Learn program. Dr. Wecht is a forensic pathologist, an attorney, a medical-legal consultant and the author of a number of books. A nationally-acclaimed forensic expert, Dr. Wecht will share how he chose his career and some of the more interesting aspects of forensics in television interpretations such as CSI and NCIS. Dr. Wecht will speak in Memorial Hall at 11 a.m. followed by lunch at Eastover. An email will be sent in early January with more information. Please contact Deborah Perry at dapiano@aol.com or Jodi Palamides at jpalamides@comcast.net with any questions. Parents' Association Opportunities The Parents' Association offers several ways to support the PA while you shop.
Junior School News Winter Break Spy Camp Offered Dec. 19-23
Shady Side Academy is excited to offer its inaugural Break Camp during the week of Dec. 19–23. This camp is open to all children ages 5 to 10 and takes place at the Junior School. The overall theme is "Spy Camp," where campers will work in teams to break codes, decipher clues, train for reconnaissance and learn to be a proper spy. With a villainous crime syndicate on the loose, it is up to the campers to solve daily mysteries and eventually capture the crime boss! Learn more about Spy Camp and register online. Holiday Service Projects Items Due Tomorrow
Gently used (but in good condition) toys for The Hill House should be dropped off in the kindergarten hallway by tomorrow, Dec. 9. Giving Tree gifts should also be sent to school tomorrow. Holiday Cookie Trays
The Parents' Association annually celebrates faculty and staff by creating beautiful cookie trays. Your donation of four dozen cookies, brownies or other baked goodies may be dropped off tomorrow morning, Dec. 9. Volunteers are also need to assemble and deliver the trays. View the flyer for more information. Fifth Grade Ensemble Visits Retirement Home Dec. 14
The fifth grade instrumental ensemble will visit Schenley Gardens Retirement Village and perform holiday favorites as well as seasonal music on Wednesday, Dec. 14. Poetry and writings, under the guidance of language arts teacher Pat Suhody, will also be read by select students. This year will mark the 20th year that the fifth grade has performed this community service. Winter Festival Dec. 16
Families and friends are invited to the annual Winter Festival of the Arts on Friday, Dec. 16 at 1:30 p.m. at the Junior School. Students will perform seasonal music. Parking will not be available at the Junior School. Guests are encouraged to use the shuttle service to and from LifeCare Hospital, which will begin at 12:30 p.m. Guests may be dropped off at the Junior School, as handicapped parking will not be available. Skating Party Jan. 7
The Parents' Association is hosting a skating party for Junior School families on Saturday, Jan. 7 from 2-5 p.m. on the Senior School campus in the McKnight Hockey Center. Families must bring their own skates and helmets are required for children ages 12 and under. Pizza, snacks, beverages and crafts will be provided. Contact Kari Marciniak at k_marciniak@yahoo.com with questions. FIRST LEGO League Robotic Competition
 Science teacher Mr. McCarroll concluded the after-school robotics class with the FIRST LEGO League Robotics Competition on Dec. 3 at CMU's National Robotics Engineering Center. Fifth graders Eliseo Salazar, Sam Kaplin and Oliver Chetlin, fourth graders Elizabeth Grossman, Vishnu Gosai and Andrew Meyers and third graders Alexander Biglan and Emily Davidheiser worked together to build and program robots. The students came in 28th out of 62 teams, which were comprised of students ages 9-14. View the FIRST Lego Robotic Competition slideshow. Welcome Back Miss Price, Thanks Mr. Murphy!
Miss Price has recovered from the biking accident that kept her out of school since the beginning of the year. She and Mr. Murphy have been teaching together as she and the students get to know one another and the students prepare for the Winter Festival of the Arts. Mr. Murphy's last day will be Dec. 16, although he will be subbing when needed. A big thank you to Mr. Murphy for filling in and being a great teacher. You'll be missed! PK Gingerbread Fun
PK has been learning about The Gingerbread Man for the month of December. They read many versions of the story in addition to the original, including The Gingerbread Baby, The Gingerbread Girl, The Gingerbread Cowboy and The Gingerbread Pirates. During centers, they "re-captured" those famous missing words that the Gingerbread Man ran away with and did a connect the dots to reveal his picture. They also decorated gingerbread cookies and paper cutouts. Their fourth grade buddies will help students decorate gingerbread houses that will be theirs to take home later this week! Fourth Grade Visits University Of Pittsburgh Nationality Rooms
 Last week, the fourth graders visited the Nationality Rooms at the Cathedral of Learning to coincide with their study of immigration. The students enjoyed hearing the history of each room and what the different artifacts symbolized for each country. They also enjoyed viewing the different styles of architecture, wood carvings and furniture that were unique to each nationality. During this social studies unit, the fourth graders have been hard at work researching their own cultural heritage by interviewing members of their family and then creating an autobiographical account of their ethnic background. View the Nationality Rooms slideshow. Yearbook Photos Needed
As you take photos at various SSA events, please consider sharing them with the yearbook committee. View the yearbook flyer. Please contact Beth Ann Fuhrer at bafuhrer@aol.com or Gabby Germinaro at gabs4@me.com with questions.
Middle School News Holiday Cookie Trays
Parents are invited to contribute to cookie trays that will be delivered to each faculty and staff member at the Middle School. Please view the flyer for more details. Parents' Association Hidden Valley Sky Trip Jan. 13
The Parents' Association is sponsoring a ski trip to Hidden Valley on Friday, Jan. 13. The bus will leave at 2 p.m. and will return at approximately 11 p.m. Please view the information packet for details. Forms and payment are due Jan. 4.
The Young Naturalist Awards for Grades 7-12
The American Museum of Natural History is holding a research-based science contest for The Young Naturalist Awards for 2012. This contest is available to students in grades 7-12. If you are interested, please contact Stephanie Montemurro at 412-968-3031 or smontemurro@shadysideacademy.org. Additional information can be found online at amnh.org/yna.  FIRST Lego Robotics Competition
Three teams participated in the Pittsburgh FIRST LEGO League Robotics Tournament on Dec. 3 at the National Robotics Engineering Center at CMU. The sixth grade boys' team "The Predators" (Garrett Cleveland, Ashvin Dhawan, Frankie Fuhrer, Marco Germinaro, Christopher Guttman, Clayton Guyaux, Jacob Hopeman, Kevin Liu, Chase Maivald, Evan Merkel, Josh Morrow and Cheste Todd) had a great score on the robot game table. The girls' team "Swag System" (Cristina Bermudez, Alexa Conomikes, Lauren Davies, Crosby Deliman, Sabrina Gulati, Claire Holthaus, Zoe Horne and Faizah Wulandana) impressed the judges with their teamwork, presentation, programming and robot construction. A special congratulations goes to the seventh and eighth grade boys' team "Senatus Robataque Romae" (Ciaran Beckford, Connor Colombo, Tyler Gorse, Aaron Karenchak, Tanay Kumta, Ryan Labriola, Ben Leake, Jesse Plung and Tom Scherlis) for their presentation and performance on the competition table. They also earned a third-place trophy in the programming category. The teams were coached by Mr. Brunner and Mr. Jenkins. View the FIRST Lego Robotics Competition slideshow and videos.
2011-2012 Parents' Association Opportunities
There are several ways to get involved with the Parents' Association. View the volunteer signup form, with opportunities including faculty appreciation luncheon, fundraising, yearbook and more. Please also view the Bagel Days Form and Library Signup Form.
Senior School News Opportunity to Visit Ireland for a Month This Summer
Gary O'Sullivan, director at The Irish Experience, will be available tomorrow, Dec. 9 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Coffee Tree on Walnut Street in Shadyside to meet with current Form III, IV and V students and their parents interested in spending a month in Ireland this summer. Ms. Lynn Sanborne, a past parent, will chaperone a group of Pittsburgh-area students from June 29-July 27. The Irish Experience is an education and travel program for Canadian and U.S. high school students who want to explore Ireland by hiking its countryside, touring its cities and studying its rich history and celebrated literature. Learn more at www.irishexperience.net. Contact Ms. Sanborne at lsanborne@hotmail.com or 412-860-5185 (evenings and weekends please) for more information if you are unable to attend the session.
Cameras and Accessories Wanted
Photography teacher Tony Goodwin is accepting donations of 35mm cameras and accessories including tripods, filters, lenses and camera bags. Items can be dropped off at the Senior School. No Soap Left Behind Collection
Last year the Senior School successfully collected 1,200 toiletries through the No Soap Left Behind service project. All of these toiletries were donated to the Light of Life Mission in Pittsburgh, which helps the poor, homeless and addicted. Due to the amazing success of this project we will collect toiletries once again after Winter Break this year. If you are traveling over break, or if you have a lot of toiletries (travel/hotel size or larger) around your house, please bring them in after break so we can exceed last year’s donation! There will be a donation box in the Student Center. If you have any questions or want to get more involved, please contact Tyler Edwards at 12edwardst@shadysideacademy.org or Mrs. Ament at mament@shadysideacademy.org. Winter Musical Music Man Under Way
The winter musical Music Man has begun rehearsals. About 100 students, faculty, staff and parents are expected to be involved in the cast, technical crew, pit orchestra, costumes, make-up and publicity. We hope to include some Junior School students for the band, and our partnership with Deer Lakes High School will provide instrumentalists in the pit. More information will be available closer to the Feb. 9-12 run of the show. Those interested in working on the musical should contact Dana Hardy-Bingham at dhardy-bingham@shadysideacademy.org. Band Plans Spring Trip To The Windy City
The band program has announced its spring trip to Chicago. Plans are in place to provide an educational and cultural experience to the first 54 students who send in their deposit. Contact Mr. Nevola with questions at snevola@shadysideacademy.org. Cell Phone Collection
During November and December, the Senior School is collecting gently used cell phones to benefit the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh (WCS), which helps women who are victims of intimate partner abuse. All collected phones will be delivered to WCS and eventually disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. WCS receives money for each phone collected. Used cell phones can be dropped off at the box located in the Benedum Student Center. Pink Yogurt Lids = Donation to Cancer Research
Pink yogurt lids will be collected through the end of the year. Look for the signs and collection containers on the Service Learning bulletin board and the tray drop-off area in the Dining Hall. For each lid collected, 10 cents is donated to cancer research. Pittsburgh Hosts ISEF, Presents Opportunities to SSA Students
The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) will be held in Pittsburgh in May 2012. There are several opportunities for SSA community members to participate. Students can participate by conducting independent research and presenting their results. Students who have not conducted science research can take part in workshops and other educational activities. Hundreds of volunteer judges and interpreters are also needed. For information about student projects or student volunteering, contact Stephanie Montemurro at 412-968-3031 or smontemurro@shadysideacademy.org. Information about judging can be found online. For information about other volunteering opportunities, email isefvolunteer@societyforscience.org. The Young Naturalist Awards for Grades 7-12
The American Museum of Natural History is holding a research-based science contest for The Young Naturalist Awards for 2012. This contest is available for students in grades 7-12. If you are interested please contact Stephanie Montemurro at 412-968-3031 or smontemurro@shadysideacademy.org. Additional information can be found online at amnh.org/yna. Notes from the Deans' Office - The next formal dress day is Friday, Dec. 16 for the Fides Assembly.
- The Homecoming Dance has been rescheduled for Saturday, Jan. 7. Same time, same place, and more details will come closer to the date.
From the College Counseling Office - Seniors, be sure to have an official test score report sent directly from the appropriate testing agency to any schools where you are submitting early applications (early decision, early action, rolling, priority). Log onto the website of the appropriate testing agency and follow the directions for sending scores to colleges. (www.actstudent.org/scores/send or sat.collegeboard.org/home )
- Seniors, be sure to consult with your college counselor before Winter Break if you want to make any changes on your "colleges I'm applying to" list on Family Connection. Ms. Blubaugh and Mr. Rossi will be in the office for part, but not all, of Winter Break, so please avoid last-minute requests.
- Juniors, please turn in your college counselor request form before Winter Break. You may turn it in to your advisor or directly to the college counseling office.
- Tuesday, Dec. 13, 7 p.m. - College Counseling Workshop on Financial Aid in Memorial Hall. Robert Heyl, Coordinator of Financial Aid at Penn State - Greater Allegheny, will speak about the financial aid process for students and parents of all forms. A brief question and answer session will follow.
- Interested in free money for college? Check out the scholarship list on the College Counseling page of the SSA website.
Testing Information Parkin Fellow Application Due January 3
Applicants must be Form IV or Form V students, in good standing, whose passion is to make a difference in the world through an international service project or by engaging in an international project to help sustain or enhance the environment. Applications are due Jan. 3, 2012. Learn more on the Parkin Fellow page. Senior Portrait and Baby Photo Information
Please submit senior portraits, baby pictures and quotes as soon as possible, and no later than April 3, the Tuesday after Spring Break. Please limit senior quotes to 2,200 characters. You can take your senior portrait at any photography studio or with any photographer of your choice. SPECIFICATIONS for your senior portraits: - MAKE SURE YOUR NAME IS ON THE BACK OF ALL PHOTOS
- Digital: 600 dpi by 4”X 5” minimum via email or CD
- Print: Print size wallet size or larger
- Digital or Print: B/W or color
- Any pose is fine, background should be as neutral as possible. Outdoor shots and casual photos are accepted.
Send all submissions to: Elyse Zheng at ezheng@shadysideacademy.org or to Elyse Zheng, Head Yearbook Advisor, SSA Senior School, 423 Fox Chapel Road, Pittsburgh,PA 15238. Student Collects Nearly 70 Gifts for Allegheny County Holiday Project
Junior Christiana Jueng organized a collection drive of new toys and gifts for the Allegheny County Holiday Project. The Holiday Project distributes new gifts to children who receive services through the Office of Children, Youth and Families. The drive brought in nearly 70 gifts. Thanks to everyone who contributed! Students Volunteer at Heart for Souls
Members of the Service Learning group volunteered at the Catholic Charities Heart to Souls event on Nov. 23. Rebecca Roman, Alex Smith, Paul Steenkiste and teacher Mrs. Ament helped as homeless people received breakfast, socks, a flu shot, warm clothing and were fitted for shoes. View the Heart to Souls slideshow. Chamber Choir Performs at Pittsburgh Golf Club
The Chamber Choir sang at a holiday gathering at the Pittsburgh Golf Club on Dec. 2. Students entertained guests with seasonal selections. The honorarium the Choir received will help fund the spring trip to New York City the weekend of April 20. Students Make Lab Ice Cream
Science students created ice cream in the lab on Dec. 1, a lesson that illustrated freezing point depression. View the ice cream slideshow. Trombonist Harold Betters Visits Jazz Students
Legendary local trombonist Harold Betters visited students on Nov. 29. Betters played with Louis Armstrong and others in his 60-year career. Mr. Broker brought his trombone players from the Middle School, and a good time was had by all. A special thank you to the McLaughlin family for their support in bringing this wonderful experience to students.
Upcoming Events All Academy
Dec. 8 - Bodhi Day (B)
Dec. 9 - Winter Plant Sale Pickup, Junior and Senior Schools
Dec. 9 - Poetry Reading and Lecture by Naomi Shihab Nye, Hillman Center, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 11 - Von Grey Holiday Concert, Hillman Center, 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 16 - Winter Break Begins at End of School Day
Dec. 20 - Hanukkah Begins at Sundown (J)
Dec. 25 - Christmas (C)
Dec. 26 - Kwanzaa (AH)
Jan. 2 - In-Service Day, No Classes
Jan. 3 - School Resumes
Junior School
Dec. 9 - Giving Tree and Hill House Donations Accepted
Dec. 9 - Fourth Grade Immigration Food Festival, 9-10 a.m.
Dec. 14 - Fifth Grade Ensemble Performs at Schenley Gardens Retirement Village, 9-11:30 a.m.
Dec. 19-23 - Spy Camp, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Middle School
Dec. 8 - Poet Naomi Shihab Nye Visit
Dec. 9 - Form I & II Dance, Cafetorium, 7-9:30 p.m.
Dec. 14 - Holiday Concert for Parents and Guests, Hillman Center, 7:30 p.m. Senior School
Dec. 9 - Poet Naomi Shihab Nye Visit
Dec. 13 - Art Field Trip to Carnegie Museum, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Dec. 16 - Fides Assembly, FORMAL DRESS
For up-to-date calendar information, please visit the calendar page. If you have any questions about this newsletter, please send them to Manager of Web Communications Dana Sheehan at dsheehan@shadysideacademy.org
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